Via The Star-Ledger:

general manager Brian Cashman said following the Yankees’ 6-2 victory over the Tigers on Tuesday that he believes the Yankees have enough to weather setbacks. As the deadline for waiver trades approaches at the end of the month, he doesn’t intend to make any moves.

“I’m not anticipating any more moves,” Cashman said. “I think this is the team we’ve got and we’re looking forward to playing the string out and seeing where it takes us. Obviously, everybody in this game would like to be healthy. But that’s part of the game, not being healthy and dealing with it.”

This is a bit of a surprise because before the July 31st deadline the Yankees biggest target was a veteran bat who could play third base and they missed landing a player who fills that roll. Now Alex Rodriguez is having calf problems and the Yankees need an upgrade over Ramiro Pena more than ever.

This doesn’t necessarily mean no trades though as something could present it self and Cashman is never one to say never. It is unlikely that they’d make any other deal aside from a backup infielder.

Since the Yankees named Phil Hughes the fifth starter the big question has been what does the future hold for Joba Chamberlain?

Joe Girardi or Brian Cashman could have quelled the questions right away by saying something like, ‘He’ll be a starter in 2011,’ or ‘he’ll be a reliever from here on out,’ or even a simple ‘we’re going to reassess the situation next season,’ probably would have worked.

Instead we got nothing but speculation and statements from various members of the organization.

First there was the Yankees senior director of pro personnel Billy Eppler who went on WFAN and said that Joba probably wouldn’t even be in the running to be a starter next season.

Then we got Yankee pitching coach Dave Eiland who told the Newark Star-Ledger that Joba would not be in the rotation at all this season and that “he’s in the bullpen and he’s there to stay. Period.”

Well it turns out that while these two are trusted members of the Yankees organization and certainly do have input regarding where Joba ultimately ends up, the real power is within Brian Cashman and Brian Cashman alone.

“We haven’t had any team meeting and said, ‘All right, he’s a reliever for the rest of his life,’ ” Cashman said. “No, we didn’t do that. That’s never been discussed.

“Listen, if I’m asked the question, I’m not getting into ’011. I’m dealing with ’010,” he said. “So is it possible he can be in the rotation? Yeah, I’d say it’s all possible.”

The problem with Eppler and Eiland’s statements is that there are a lot of unknowns going forward. For instance the Phil Hughes might not work out in the rotation. There is also the impending free agency of Andy Pettitte and Javier Vazquez. There are also unforseen possibilities like injuries or trades that may occur to change things. The bottom line is that the there are too many unknowns and until the Yankees can figure those unknowns out, there will be no answer to the question of what the future holds for Joba.

“It sounds like the Joba starter-relief thing will be forever,” he said. “How about we just add the little word to the shirt and have a new shirt — Joba Rules Forever. Leave it like that.”

Similar to an Anthony McCarron article in the Daily News that prompted a piece I wrote a couple weeks ago about Yankees catching prospect Jesus Montero, Ben Shpigel of The New York Times wrote his own good profile of the young catching phenom yesterday that is worth a look. In it, Yankees GM Brian Cashman both raved about Montero’s bat, and expressed a determination that outside speculation about switching Montero to another position would not dissuade the organization from honing his catching skills:

“Every year you hear: ‘When are the Yankees going to move him off catcher? He’s not this, he’s not this,’ ” General Manager Brian Cashman said. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks. We’re going to do what we think. All the tools are there, all the ability is there. With that bat, if he can stay behind home plate? Wow.”

It would be tremendous indeed should Montero develop into a good enough major-league catcher to be the Yankees’ regular backstop, with his Grade-A bat in the lineup every day. Shpigel pinpointed a couple items on which the Yankees have focused to improve Montero’s catching. One is making his body major-league ready. Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long did not divulge details, but spoke in somewhat pointed terms about this and especially the expectations he and the organization have about matching Montero’s physical maturity with his bat, which Cashman and Long acknowledge is mature beyond his 20 years.

Cashman recalled an instance from last Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Twins, when Montero, after falling behind to Jesse Crain, 0-2, sensed that an outside breaking ball was coming. It did, and Montero poked it down the right-field line for a double.

“It’s amazing that at 20 years old he’s a .320 lifetime hitter,” Long said. (Montero’s career average is actually .325.) “But he’s got to get his body in shape and turn from being a soft kid to a hard-nosed man. He’s got to do it in a hurry because he owes it to the organization. He owes it to everybody around him.” [Shpigel's parenthetical insertion]

It’s important to pause for a moment on this. The reminder of Montero’s hitting prowess is worthwhile in its own right. But the savvy and wisdom to sense the next pitch, especially by a budding catcher who appears attuned to pitch selection as part of his job, is what impressed me most. Crain is not a bad reliever, a guy going on his seventh season in the majors, sporting a 32-20 career record with a 3.50 ERA. A hard throwing with good breaking pitches, Crain is no slouch, yet Montero, just 20, bested him not just in a good at-bat, but by thinking like a mature professional hitter. That’s impressive, as Cashman and Long rightly acknowledge.

On Montero’s physicality, I would have liked to see a few more details here. For one, was Long implying that Montero has not labored or focused hard enough on weight and cardio training to be an everyday catcher in the pros? Long’s phrase that Montero must change “from…a soft kid to a hard-nosed man…in a hurry because he owes it to the organization” almost implies an impatience with, or perhaps a program of rapid acceleration for, Montero.  With the absence of details, I certainly hope it’s the latter. Plus, having seen just a little of Montero, he certainly doesn’t appear to wear much baby fat. The kid already appears to be in pretty good shape.

I think another possible explanation for Long’s disquisition on Montero’s development, which also underscores Cashman’s plan to develop Montero as a catcher, is the catching situation overall.  Jorge Posada will turn 39 in August, and while his productivity has remained excellent–against the grain of history for players, much less catchers, his age–he can’t catch forever. Joe Girardi has already said that he expects Posada to catch no more than 120 games this year, steering at least 25% of the catching workload to the young and emerging backstop Francisco Cervelli. However, what the Yankees can expect out of the athletic and hard-working Cervelli remains a mystery. A converted middle infielder, Cervelli impressed the Yanks last season when he was called up in May to replace the injured Posada and, despite hitting an anemic .190 in Trenton to that point, proceeded to hit .298 with 1 homer and 11 RBI in 42 games in The Bronx. Perhaps more importantly, Cervelli nailed an impressive 43% of the base runners trying to steal and, combined with his nice hitting last year, eventually displaced the strong defensive but weak-hitting Jose Molina as the Yankees’ backup. Yet Cervelli might not possess the type of bat that the Yankees need to succeed Posada.

Montero, on the other hand, has more than enough offense to replace Posada. What the Yankees are pushing Montero to improve upon is his quickness, particularly in reducing his catch-and-throw times to second base. Shpigel has a good segment in which he says that, according to the Yankees, Montero requires “1.9 to 2.0 seconds to catch and throw the ball to second base, whereas an elite catcher, like Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals, can do it in about 1.7.” While Montero has what Tony Pena characterizes as “a very strong arm,” he is still developing his throwing mechanics. Right now, it would be a stretch to imagine Montero pegging out 43% of base stealers, and the task of continuing Montero’s defensive improvement will fall to Butch Wynegar in SWB.

Implicit in the quote from Long above, I believe, is a desire for Montero to develop as a person, too. The “hard-nosed man” might allude not just to preparing Montero physically but psychologically, especially given the role that Posada has had for years as team leader and emotional barometer for the team–as I’ve characterized him, the guts of the team. The ’08 Yankees appeared to lack a certain urgency after Posada went down, and while the Yankees did a great job by adding mature veteran leadership in C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira, and Nick Swisher last off-season, Posada’s crucial role on the Yankees is similar to that of Tino Martinez on the great late 1990s teams, providing vocal leadership, accountability, and a serious demeanor. Termed by minor-league catching coordinator Julio Mosquera as “an outgoing guy” and [n]ot timid,” Montero will have big shoes to fill indeed should he eventually develop into the Yankees’ everyday catcher.  Posada as a player and leader has become ensconced, with Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, and Thurman Munson, as part of the greatest lineage of catchers that any team in the history of the game has ever had. They had different personalities and styles as players, but none were wallflowers.

I for one like that the Yankees are pushing Montero while at the same time not presuming that he will immediately succeed Posada and/or make it to The Bronx. Cashman illustrates this balance the Yankees are negotiating between high expectations for Montero and the remaining development necessary for the majors by saying, “My job is to put the best team on the field that will help us win games,” Cashman said. “If a guy turns out to show us that he’s better than what we have, then we have to make it work. If that guy is Montero, then that’s what we’re hoping for.” They want Montero to be that guy, but are not automatically granting it to him. It’s a similar approach to how the Yankees have handled Joba Chamberlain, whom the Yankees have protected with innings limits while also expecting him to handle those rules and his altered pitching schedule last year with maturity. The Yankees in the process appear to be grooming their young players, particularly Montero, both physically and emotionally for the high expectations inherently connected with playing in The Bronx.

Time will tell how Montero handles all this but, should his defensive development parallel his offensive prowess, he will get the chance to show us sooner rather than later.

Tim Marchman of Sports Illustrated recently ranked the 30 general managers in baseball and the Yankees GM Brian Cashman ranked pretty high at no. 3 behind Andrew Friedman of the Tampa Rays and Theo Epstein of the Boston Red Sox.

3. Brian Cashman, New York Yankees

Cashman’s weakness isn’t a small one — the Yankees, the only team in baseball to routinely run $200 million payrolls, have recently been spending about four times as much per win as the Rays. Why, then, does he rank so high? His four world championships don’t hurt, but the really impressive thing is that since he secured full control over baseball operations after the 2005 season, the Yankees have spent their money wisely, signing studs like CC Sabathia rather than sure bets for decline, and traded smartly, dealing the fruits of a much-improved farm system for players still in their prime, such as Curtis Granderson.

Thoughts: Brian Cashman has done a great job running the team since he took complete control a couple of years ago. I’d like to argue that he should be higher on the list, but that’s purely because he’s coming off a World Series victory and everything about the team is looking good right now.

In reality there are probably more reasons he should be lower on this list, like Jaret Wright, Kei Igawa, and the fact that the Yankees their farm system seems a little on the light side since making a couple trades this offseason. Marchman even gives him credit for the Granderson deal, but the Yankees did give up a major league, cost-controlled lefty in Phil Coke and two prospects, Austin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, who could potentially turn into solid major leaguers. It wasn’t a bad trade for the Yankees, but I don’t think it’s one that should land him at the no. 3 spot on this list.

Don’t get me wrong though, I like Cashman and I think he has done a great job running this team recently. I’m just trying to keep it real and remember his short comings too. Overall though, the team won the World Series last year and seem to be heading into the right direction in general. I like where he’s ranked.

What’s your take? Too high? Too low? Just right? What about Epstein, is he really better than Cashman?

CC Sabathia @ Spring Training 2010

Every Yankee fan remembers David Wells. Whether it’s his perfect game, the day he wore Babe Ruth’s hat out to the mound or his infamous book where he described pitching the previously mentioned perfect game hungover. The fact is, David Wells isn’t someone you simply forget.

One year into his Yankee career, C.C. Sabathia would like to be someone who we never forget. He wants to an integral part of a New Yankee dynasty.

What do C.C. and Wells have in common? Let’s see…they’re both large men (some would use a different word other than large). In a New York Post article, Yankees catcher Jorge Posada recently compared C.C. to the former Yankee lefty for another reason.

“He could pitch for 50 more years,” Posada said of the 29-year-old ace. “He has an arm like David Wells.”

Source: NY Post

Posada makes a great comparison here. Wells was one of those players who excelled at staying injury free. Yankee fans would like to be able to say the same thing about C.C. Sabathia when his tenure in the Bronx comes to the end. So far in C.C.’s career, he can be proud of that fact. His endurance was one of the key reasons Brian Cashman wanted to bring the lefty to New York. There was a lot of concern with Sabathia when he was initially brought up as a possibility, simply because of the amount of innings he had pitched the year prior with the Brewers.

There’s one major difference for me between Wells and Sabathia, however, and that’s part of their personality. While it’s clear both are BIG personalities, Wells sometimes was over the top. Sabathia, on the other hand, knows where to draw the line. It’s not to say that Wells didn’t fit in New York but perhaps it just makes it clear how much better a fit Sabathia is. After a season where the Yankees passed up Johan Santana because they wanted to hold on to arms like Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Joba Chamberlain, it’s fair to say many fans are happy with the way things ultimately ended.

“I want to take the ball at every opportunity,” said Sabathia

I have no problem with that. Do you? What do you think of the Wells/Sabathia comparison?

Brian Cashman has been the Yankees general manager since 1998, but it was only after 2004 when he really started taking over the team. Today Hal Steinbrenner runs the budget, but Cashman seems like he’s in charge of everything else. That is why when he speaks it’s probably smart to listen.

When he speaks to NoMaas.org, you’d damn well better listen.

NoMaas spoke with him this week and it was an interview only they could do. Cashman commented on a ton of things from the 5th starter competition, Curtis Granderson, and even his ninja style (I’m not kidding).

Here are some highlights:

On how the organization has changed under his rule: I felt like we were the Roman Empire where our operations were stretched far and wide. We weren’t king of the hill in player development, king of the hill in amateur scouting, king of the hill on the major league side, king of the hill on the international side…we weren’t maximizing our resources at any level. We had department heads making decisions for other departments that weren’t their responsibility. Now, I have localized each department to their specific area and maximized their expertise in those areas for the greater good of the organization as a whole.

On the state of the farm system: I traded nine to eleven prospects this offseason, but that is what the system is there for. You can utilize homegrown talent for yourself or you can use it to get what you want. And that can keep you out of the free agent market, because you have to overpay in the free agent market. Having a farm system allows you to acquire talent in the most cost-efficient way.

On ninja style: When it comes to major league acquisitions, I work with our pro scouting department and only include others when the circumstances warrant. By doing that, I limit leaks. I control what I’m working on and it’s less likely to get out. And it works to our advantage.

On 5th starter battle: Performance will dictate. [Joba] was inconsistent last year. He has completed his development program. May the best man win.

Long-term future of Joba and Hughes: There is no permanent anything. Your team has to be flexible. The great thing is we have guys who have the ability to both go in the bullpen and start. If somebody gets hurt, somebody’s performance suffers…Chad Gaudin can start and relieve, Sergio Mitre can start and relieve, Aceves can start and relieve, Hughes and Joba can start and relieve. These guys have the ability to succeed at both ends, some more than others.

On dealing Austin Jackson for Granderson: Granderson is a “now player.” What Granderson is currently doing in the big leagues, we didn’t necessarily project for Austin Jackson. We thought Jackson would be an above-average everyday player. Did we see 30 HR potential? Not necessarily. It’s easier to bet on Granderson than the projections of what Jackson may or will do.

On centerfield battle: If Gardner proves our team is better with him in CF and he can be an everyday outfielder…he has a lot to show in a short amount of time in Spring Training. We believe he is better in CF and we believe Granderson would be terrific in LF. But, Granderson was acquired to be our everyday CF and that is our expectation.

There were a couple more items on Reed Johnson/Randy Winn and the backup outfield situation as well as some stuff on Jesus Montero, but he gets a little more in depth. BBD will have posts on those today though, so stay tuned and see what Cashman had to say tuned for those.

Perhaps worried that they’ve alienated their Japanese market by not resigning their hero Hideki Matsui, the Yankees brought the World Series trophy with them to to Tokyo on Monday. Brian Cashman also called Matsui one of the best moves he’s ever made.

“I’ve had some successful signings in Japan; I’ve had some unsuccessful signings in Japan,” Cashman said. “Hideki Matsui will be one of the best deals I ever made.

“We will have future players from Japan on our roster. They will do everything in their power to try to help us win, but I doubt we’ll find another Hideki Matsui.”

Of course by “some successful signings in Japan” Cashman means he’s had one successful signing in Japan – Matsui. The bad signings? Remember Hideki Irabu and, of course, there is Kei Igawa who is still bringing value to the Scranton Yankees. The Yankees also had Hideo Nomo in 2005, but he never played in the majors, so maybe that is what Cashman is talking about when he mentioned successful signings (plural).

One name that many Yankee fans learned during the Matsui signing but didn’t come up in any of the many articles, except the ones pointing out it’s absense, was Jean Afterman.

Afterman was such a pivotal role in the Matsui signing that Mark Feinsand then of MLB.com, of course of Daily News fame today, posed one of his questions to her this way:

“George Steinbrenner has repeatedly credited you with paving the way for Hideki Matsui’s signing with the Yankees. What was the most challenging part of the Matsui negotiations?”

Quick recap, the Yankees are kissing up to Japanese fans for not resigning Matsui, who was just one of their successful signings from Japan, and he was one of Cashman’s best signings especially since he didn’t have to do most of the work.

Four years ago the Yankees signed outfielder Johnny Damon out from under the Red Sox. Since then he’s had at least three tremendous seasons with the Bombers including last season, one of the best of his career.

Throughout the 2009 season, Damon regularly made it known that he liked playing in New York and wanted to stay. He even went as far as saying that he realized that it might even mean he would have to accept less dollars than he could get someplace else (so much for that).

Things broke down this offseason and it seemed like the Yankees really were never that interested in Damon and have effectively replaced him with a Nick Johnson/Brett Gardner/Randy Winn combo. So exactly what happened? Here, via Joel Sherman of the NY Post, we have a rough timeline of how this offseason went down.

• Shortly after the World Series: Brian Cashman and Scott Boras meet and Cashman reveals that re-signing Damon is important, but they want to re-sign Andy Pettitte first.
• Pettitte signs December 9: A week goes by with no contact between Cashman and Boras. Boras finally makes the first call. Tells Yankees he’s backing off demands for a 4-year contract and proposes 2-year $26 million deal. Yankees turn down deal and counter with a 2-year $14 million deal. Within an hour Boras rejects this deal and proposes a 2-year $20 million deal which the Yankees reject.
• Meanwhile: The Yankees were negotiating with DH Nick Johnson at the same time. Boras contends that the Yankees 2-year $14 million was only good if Johnson turns down the 1-year $5.5 million contract that he eventually accepted.
• This is where Boras says the Yankees stopped negotiating, but Cashman has countered that and said, “On Dec. 17, Scott’s exact words were that he would not take a penny less than $13 million a year for two years. We believed him.” Of course if Boras’ 2-year $20 million counter offer is real it proves that this is not 100 percent true.
• December 18: Cashman called Boras to inform him that the Yankees signed Johnson and were no longer interested in Damon. Damon said that he appreciated his time in New York and that he understood it is a business.
• Last week (probably January 22nd or 23rd): Damon calls the Yankees to see if there is a way the two sides could work things out. With Hal Steinbrenner on his honeymoon much of the Yankees front office believe that $2 million would be as far as the Yankees would go. They do float the idea that if he were willing to accept a $6 million deal with as much as $3 million deferred at no interest Steinbrenner might be willing to reconsider. Damon rejects the idea.
• January 27: Free agent outfielder Randy Winn informs the Yankees that if they aren’t willing to wrap up a deal for 1-year $2 million, what the Yankees were looking to sign a 4th outfielder for, he was ready to sign with the Washington Nationals. Despite trying to put off signing an outfielder, probably waiting for Damon to accept a low-ball offer, the Yankees don’t want to risk ending the game of musical chairs without a free agent they deem acceptable and sign Winn.

Last week word got out that there was a supposed deadline the Yankees had given Johnny Damon to accept a low-ball offer which general manager Brian Cashman denied.

When speaking with a reporter to deny the claim Cashman laid this gem on us, “When you get on the phone with agents, they tell you one thing, and certain agents can’t honestly believe what they’re trying to convey,” Cashman said. “Do they think I’m stupid?”

It was his way of calling out Damon’s agent Scott Boras as Cashman felt he was setting up unrealistic expectations for Damon. Apparently Boras hasn’t stopped saying stupid things and believing them, or at least expecting Cashman to believe them.

According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, Boras gave the Yankees a last second chance to sign Xavier Nady before he dotted the line on his Cub’s contract.

Sherman’s tweet: “Last offer by Nady/Boras to Yankees was $5M, signed with Cubs at $3.3M. Yanks would have at least considered at those dollars”

I believe Sherman is right. If Boras had been honest with the Yankees and told them what the Cubs were set to give to Nady, the Yankees might have at least considered making an offer. Instead Boras told Cashman that he wanted $5 million, or $1.7 million more than the next highest offer, for Nady and Cashman, not being stupid, realized that was an exaggerated offer and didn’t give it a second thought.

The sad part is, these games are not helping anyone. Cashman isn’t stupid, he’s proving this offseason that he can be rather smart and thrifty even with huge amounts of cash. When Boras lies to him, he’s hurting the Yankees because they’re not going to pay more than other teams are paying and in the end that might have kept them from signing Nady.

It’s hurting Nady because by not involving the Yankees in a fair chance to bid for his services it removes New York from his options. It could also be hurting his wallet as the Yankees potentially could have bid slightly higher than the amount the Cubs eventually paid.

It’s also hurting Scott Boras because if Nady earns less than Boras takes less of a commission. It’s also hurting Boras because he doesn’t always have the best reputation and over the years the Yankees have been one of the few teams that have never had a problem dealing with him, expect in the case of Alex Rodriguez‘s last contract. If their relationship is damaged by this entire process, and I can’t help but feel like that’s what’s happening, it could cost Boras on future deals by not having the Yankees involved.

One person it might be helping though is Johnny Damon, but not that much. With Nady off the table, the Yankees have one less outfielder to turn to as an option besides Damon. But it doesn’t help him that much because the Cubs were rumored to be interested in Reed Johnson who the Yankees are also interested in. With Nady in Chicago, Johnson has one less suitor.

So really, this is helping nobody except maybe Reed Johnson.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman dropped that gem on us this afternoon when discussing his dealings with the agents for outfielders on the market.

“How long it’s taking certain people to wake up and smell the coffee, that’s what surprises me,” Cashman said. “When you get on the phone with agents, they tell you one thing, and certain agents can’t honestly believe what they’re trying to convey. Do they think I’m stupid?”

I think this quote gets to the heart of why the Yankees haven’t moved quickly on the market since trading for Javier Vazquez. More specifically though, this quote is likely directed at Scott Boras. Over the past two days we’ve heard his mouth piece, Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, say that it is unlikely that Damon will sign with the Yankees at a discounted rate and that he’s more likely to sign with the Braves or Tigers.

What a crock of shit that is. I can hardly believe that Heyman could be talked into writing that let along Boras saying it. Rather than rehash, again, why the Tigers and the Braves aren’t going to sign Damon I’ll just provide this link.

I’m glad Cashman is throwing it down like this though. At this point it isn’t a secret that the Yankees do want Damon back, but it isn’t a secret either that they are not going to come close to the 7-figure salary that Damon and Boras want. The Yankees do have to move on at some point though and with only 25 days left until pitchers and catchers report it’s better to do it sooner rather than later.

Speaking of the Yankees moving on, when speaking with Jennings, Cashman said that they have “had no discussions on Jermaine Dye” and is “not on Jim Edmonds at all.” So that is a big black line through each of their names. That leaves the short list of outfielders for the Yankees to sign if Damon doesn’t sign at Reed Johnson, Xavier Nady, and Randy Winn. There are certainly other possibilities out there though, they are not limited to those three names.